2024 RAYAC Bylaws Amendment Recommendation

× Close

Recommendations from the Leadership Development Committee to amend the RAYAC Bylaws 

Background:  The RAYAC Leadership Development Committee is recommending a bylaws change to the qualifications for candidates for the Board of Directors and to allow absentee ballots cast to count towards quorum.  The recommendations have received approval from the RAYAC Board of Directors and are scheduled to be presented to the RAYAC Membership for a vote at the RAYAC Annual Business Meeting on Tuesday, October 8, 2024.

What are the current Qualifications Necessary to be a Candidate for the Board of Directors?

  • You need to be a RAYAC member in good standing for 3 consecutive years.
  • One of the candidates needs to be from an office/branch office located in Hanover or Adams County.  One of the candidates needs to be from an office/branch in other areas of York County, excluding Hanover.  The other two candidates are elected at large.
  • It is also recommended but not required that candidates be a member of at least one committee or task force within the last 5 years.
  • Any member who served a full term on the board of directors is not eligible to serve on the Board of Directors until 3 years have lapsed from their expiration of their last term.
  • Shall not have been found in violation of Code of Ethics in the past 3 years.

 

Recommendation #1:  Modify the candidate qualifications from needing to be a RAYAC member for 3 years to needing to be a member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) for at least 3 years and a member of the REALTORS® Association of York and Adams Counties (RAYAC) for at least 1 year.   

The intent of the membership time requirement is to ensure that members of the Board have a minimum of 3 years of experience as a REALTOR®. The current bylaws do not allow someone who, for example, has been a member of another association for 20 years and transfers their primary membership to RAYAC to run for the RAYAC board until they have waited 3 years. This is despite the fact that they clearly meet the experience requirement. By amending this membership requirement to allow for 3 years of NAR membership and 1 year of RAYAC membership, we will potentially open up candidacy to more members.

Proposed Bylaws Amendment
*Under Article XI-Officers and Directors, Section 4 Election of Officers and Directors, section a add the amended language below:
(a) The Leadership Development Committee shall select at least one candidate for each place to be filled on the Board of Directors. One of the candidates selected shall be from an office/branch located in Hanover or in Adams County; one shall be from an office/branch located in other areas of York County, excluding Hanover. The remaining two candidates shall be selected regardless of the location of their office/branch. The Committee should endeavor to assure that the Board of Directors represents not only geographical diversity but also reflects the various specialties within the association’s REALTOR® membership. All nominees must have been be a current member in good standing of the National Association of REALTORS® for a minimum of 3 consecutive years immediately preceding the year of the election. All nominees must be a current member of the Association and have been a member in good standing for a minimum of 3 1consecutive year immediately preceding the year of election. and Finally, all nominees shall not have been found in violation of the National Associations of REALTORS® Code of Ethics in the past three (3) years. Any member who served a full term on the Board of Directors shall not be eligible to serve on the Board of Directors until three years have lapsed from the expiration of their last term. It is also recommended, but not required, that all nominees be a member on at least one REALTOR® association committee or task force within the last five (5) previous years. The report of the Leadership Development Committee shall be provided to each Member eligible to vote at least sixty (60) days preceding the election. Additional candidates for director may be placed in nomination by petition signed by at least five (5)% of the REALTOR® Members eligible to vote. The petition shall be filed with the Executive Officer at least forty-five (45) days before the election. The Executive Officer shall send notice of such additional nominations to all REALTOR® Members eligible to vote before the election.

 

 

Recommendation #2:  Amend the bylaws to allow absentee voting to qualify for quorum for all RAYAC voting and not just board of director candidates.

Under the current bylaws, a quorum of 20% of the RAYAC membership needs to be present at any membership meeting to pass a bylaws amendment. While members can vote absentee through online voting, the absentee votes do not count towards quorum. You still need to have 20% of the members physically show up to a meeting for the bylaws vote to be valid. However, for the Board of Directors elections, the absentee ballots cast do count towards establishing quorum for a meeting. The amendment of the bylaws would align our policies to make them consistent so that all absentee ballots cast will count towards quorum, regardless of the type of vote.

Proposed Bylaws Amendment
*Under Article XIII-Meetings, Section 5 Quorum add the amended language below:
Section 5.  Quorum.     A quorum for the transaction of business shall consist of twenty (20%) percent of the REALTOR Members for any membership meeting and fifty (50%) percent of the officers and directors of a Board of Directors meeting.  Votes cast by absentee ballot are valid for the purposes of establishing a quorum at any membership meeting called for the purpose of electing Directors, amending these Bylaws, or any other lawful activity of the membership. only for the election of Directors.